1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple waterproof connector which improves waterproofness between a connector housing and plural electric wires with which terminals are connected and does not require a dummy tap.
2. Description of Related Art
As such a dummy tap for this type of the waterproof connector, a dummy tap shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-188069, and a dummy tap shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-122331.
A dummy tap A for a waterproof connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is composed of a pin 5 made of synthetic resin having a bar-shaped section 5a and disk-shaped step section 5b, and a circular rubber tap 6 into which the bar-shaped section 5a of the pin 5 is fitted. Moreover, a plurality of terminal housing holes 2 are formed in a connector housing 1 of a waterproof connector, and a female terminal 4 which is connected with an electric wire 3 is engaged with by a lance (flexible engagement arm) 1a so as to be housed in each terminal housing hole 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, the dummy tap A is fitted into a base end side of the free terminal housing hole 2 of the connector housing 1 of the waterproof connector so that water is prevented from penetrating the terminal housing hole 2 from the outside.
A dummy tap B for the waterproof connector shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is composed of a rubber tap 7 for sealing an electric wire which is fitted into a free terminal housing hole 2 of plural terminal housing holes 2 formed in a connector housing 1' of a waterproof connector into which a female terminal is not mounted, and a rear holder 8 made of synthetic resin, which has a shaft section 8a whose diameter is equal to a diameter of an electric wire 3 and which is inserted into an electric wire insertion hole 7a of the rubber tap 7.
As shown in FIG. 4, when a frame-shaped lock section 8b of the rear holder 8 is engaged with the connector housing 1', the dummy tap B is fitted into the free terminal housing hole 2 of the connector housing 1' and is locked so that water is prevented from penetrating the terminal housing hole 2 from the outside.
The conventional connector housings 1 and 1' of the water proof connector have the plural terminal housing holes 2 respectively, but some terminal housing holes 2 are not used because of an improvement or disuse of an option circuit (namely, variations of a wire harness circuit is used in common). For this reason, the rear holder 8 of the dummy tap A or dummy tap B is indispensable, and thus a number of parts is increased and the cost becomes high.
In addition, since the variation of application or the like of the waterproof connectors is diversified, in the case where free terminal housing holes 2 of the connector housings 1 and 1' are changed to be used, parts should be replaced with another ones.
Furthermore, since in the case of the dummy tap A, the rubber tap 6 or the like is pressed into the terminal housing hole 2 so as to be fixed thereto, there is some fear that the dummy tap A slips out of the terminal housing hole 2 due to an influence of vibration or the like of the connector housing 1. Moreover, in the case of the dummy tap B, since the lock section 8b of the rear holder 8 is exposed from the connector housing 1', there is some fear that when the electric wire 3 is removed, the electric wire 3 gets caught on the lock section 8b and the rear holder 8 is removed. In these cases, the dummy taps A and B easily slip off and thus reliability of their waterproofness is deteriorated.